Renetta McCann | Talking Management

In nearly 30 years in Chicago advertising, Renetta McCann has risen to the top of the local business scene as CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group. She's also become a major player on the civic scene, leading the city YWCA's $6.5-million "Aspire. Believe.

Chairman and CEO, Azteca Foods

Arthur R. Velasquez founded Azteca Foods in 1969. In 1984, he sold it--and in 1989, he bought it back. Along the way, Mr. Velasquez learned a lot about pursuing his dreams, managing growth and giving back to his community.

CEO, Chicago Bears

Ted Phillips is the first Chicago Bears CEO from outside the Halas family. In nine years, he has overseen a host of changes to the storied franchise--and led the team back to the championship. The Bears' 2007 Super Bowl run was its first appearance there since 1986.

In an interview with Crain's, Mr. Phillips discusses the challenge of being an accountant in a football organization. He's learned how to delegate to his coach and general manager, although Mr. Phillips says he never tells head coach Lovie Smith who to play on Sunday, or GM Jerry Angelo who to draft. However, he does ask a lot of questions.

Mr. Phillips also talks about how he rides out the inevitable losing seasons. That's where continuity of leadership comes in, he says.

President and CEO, Gardner Rich

Christopher Gardner's story is known from the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness," but the film left off before Mr. Gardner came to Chicago, where he built his own business--and wrote the memoir that would become a Hollywood hit.

Founder and Chairman, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc.

Richard Melman went into the restaurant business because he didn't know what else to do. During a brief stint as a salesman for Fuller Brush Co., Mr. Melman learned that he didn't like having doors slammed in his face. Instead of asking people for something, he thought he'd try doing something for them. That led him to open a restaurant--R. J. Grunt's in Lincoln Park--in 1971. Today he presides over Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc., a dining empire of 75 restaurants in six states.

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Chicago White Sox

Ken Williams batted just .218 in his Major League Baseball career, but as a big-league general manager, Mr. Williams presided over one of the greatest hits in Chicago sports history: the White Sox 2005 World Series Championship. The feat marked the city's first World Series crown in 88 years, but it came relatively early in Mr. Williams' career as a manager--he moved from the field to the front office in 1991 and had only been a general manager for five years.

Chairman, Chicago Blackhawks

In the eight months since he succeeded his father as chairman of the Chicago Blackhawks and president of Wirtz Corp., Rocky Wirtz has taken giant strides toward reviving the city's once-proud hockey tradition.

President and CEO, Allstate Corp.

Running an insurance company is about more than reading actuarial tables. Thomas J. Wilson knows it's a people business. As he begins his second year at the helm of Northbrook-based Allstate, he shares his thoughts on leadership.

Co-founder and CEO, Crate & Barrel

Gordon Segal and his wife, Carol, opened the first Crate & Barrel store in Old Town in 1962. Since then, Mr. Segal has built the housewares business into one of the world's most prominent retail chains.The wild success of Crate & Barrel, which had 2007 sales of $1.4 billion from 160 stores in the U.S., makes Mr. Segal one of the great Chicago entrepreneurial stories of the last half-century.

Chef and CEO, Charlie Trotter's

"The only problem with instant gratification is that it takes too long," is a mantra of Chicago chef Charlie Trotter. Mr. Trotter is CEO and chef of the eponymous Lincoln Park restaurant he founded and which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group

In nearly 30 years in Chicago advertising, Renetta McCann has risen to the top of the local business scene as CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group. She's also become a major player on the civic scene, leading the city YWCA's $6.5-million "Aspire. Believe. Thrive" fundraising campaign.

General Director, Lyric Opera of Chicago

Bill Mason has been a part of the Lyric Opera of Chicago from its inception -- in 1954, the year the opera house opened, he sang in its children's chorus. And while he hasn't performed there as an adult, Mr. Mason has worked at the Lyric for more than 30 years. Today, he oversees one of the country's leading fine-arts institutions, with more than 32,000 subscribers. Along the way, he's learned to balance artistic ambition with business acumen --- and to get the most out of the divas in his employ.

President and CEO, Morningstar, Inc.

Joe Mansueto belongs in the elite pantheon of Chicago entrepreneurs. He founded Morningstar Inc. in his Lincoln Park apartment 23 years ago with a simple idea: give investors a simple, clear way to rate and compare the performance of mutual funds. Today, Mr. Mansueto presides over a publicly traded, global company with $315 million in annual sales and 1,500 employees.

Chairman and CEO, Chicago Board Options Exchange

William Brodsky is chairman and CEO of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the world's largest market for buying and selling options. A veteran of the American Stock Exchange and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Mr. Brodsky came to the CBOE in 1997. Since then, he's led the exchange through one of the most turbulent, transformative periods in its history.

President and Managing Partner, Harry Caray's Restaurant Group

Ten years after the death of broadcaster Harry Caray, and 100 years after the Cubs last World Series crown, Grant DePorter's restaurant chain, built around those iconic Chicago names, is growing strong.

CEO, Chicago Public Schools

Mayor Richard Daley appointed Mr. Duncan CEO of the nation'sthird-largest school system in 2001. The Hyde Park native and HarvardCollege graduate oversees 600 schools that serve over 400,000 students,and a budget of more than $5 billion.

Hear him talk about: -Growing up as the only white kid on the playground basketball courts ofthe South and West Side-Building a strong leadership team - and then getting out of their way -Management lessons learned at the free-throw line

President, Joyce Foundation

Ms. Alberding was named president of the Joyce Foundation in 2002. She oversees a $1 billion portfolio and $50 million in annual grants, focusing on the environment, education and other policy goals mainly in the midwest.

President and CEO, Aon Corporation

Mr. Case was named president and CEO of Aon in 2005, after 17 years as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. He manages 43,000 employees in the insurance brokerage's operations spanning 120 countries.